Congratulations to Diane de Anda!

Her Beautiful Picture Book 21 Cousins Is Our Latest Reading With Your Kids Certified Great Read!

Let’s Take A Look At The Book Blurb

Tall, short, big, small, athletic, artistic . . . cousins may look different and have different interests and abilities, but that just makes them one extraordinary family! From Maricela s bilingual spelling skills to Mario s tech whiz abilities, no two cousins are alike and that s just the way they like it. All the cousins are muy entusiasmados for the surprise at the end of their family gathering! Diane de Anda cleverly highlights the beautiful diversity of Latino and mestizo families as readers are introduced to each cousin. Isabel Muñoz s whimsical illustrations are filled with rich details, delivering a cornucopia of color for young readers. Featuring a mix of skin tones, personalities, and abilities, 21 Cousins is a delightful read that invites children to appreciate the rich heritage of Latino culture.

About The Author

Diane de Anda is the author of twelve childrens books and editor of four books on multicultural social work. She is a professor emerita of social welfare at UCLA and a community voice on adolescent violence prevention and stress management. Diane recognized a need for children’s books in which Latino children could see themselves and their families. So she began to write books with Latino children as the main characters. Her books have received many honors, including the International Latino Book Award, Bank Street College of Education’s Best Book of the Year, Skipping Stones Honor Award, and other.

Here’s Our Review

Family is beautiful, and Diane de Anda’s picture book 21 Cousins is a beautiful celebration of family and diversity.  In this lovely story we meet Alejandro and Sofia’s 21 cousins. These cousins are very different from each other in a lot of ways.

We learn that the family is mestizo and share a mixture of the different people and cultures found in Mexico, which explains why they don’t all have the same skin and hair color. But that is just the start of the differences. Some are tall, some are short. Some are in college and high school while others are still in diapers. Some cousins love to run and dance, while one cousin uses a wheelchair to cross the stage to accept a trophy for winning the spelling bee.

The book contains wonderful illustrations by Isabel Muñoz.

21 Cousins is a wonderful book to launch conversations about the beauty of diversity in our families, neighborhoods and schools. And is a great reminder that despite our differences we can and should love and respect everyone.

Here Is Diane’s Appearance On The Podcast